Method and System for Checking a Level of Damage of at Least One Aircraft Part, and Associated Aircraft

1. A method for checking a level of damage of at least one part of an aircraft to customize maintenance operations of the aircraft depending on usage of the at least one aircraft part and reduce a maintenance frequency of the aircraft, wherein the method comprises at least: collecting, during a flight of the aircraft, data representative of measurements of at least one flight parameter chosen from the group comprising a position, a travel speed, an acceleration, and an environmental parameter of the aircraft, the data being generated during the flight of the aircraft by at least one sensor embedded on the aircraft, each piece of the data corresponding to an entry point representative of the at least one flight parameter in a multidimensional space; projecting, according to a determined process, each entry point of the multidimensional space onto a previously constructed map in order to form a respective image point, the map comprising at least two separate zones defined by closed contour lines, each zone of the at least two separate zones being representative of a flight phase of the aircraft chosen from the group comprising an approach phase, a landing phase, a hovering flight phase, a low-speed maneuvering phase, a take-off phase, a descent phase, a climbing phase, a ground phase, a turning phase, a level flight phase, a fixed-point turning phase, a recovery phase, a taxiing phase and a transition phase; identifying, for each respective image point, an image zone from the at least two separate zones in which the image point is located; analyzing for quantifying, for the at least one aircraft part and for the flight phase, the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part corresponding to a product of a predetermined coefficient associated with the flight phase multiplied by a total duration of use of the at least one aircraft part for the flight phase, the total duration of use of the at least one aircraft part for the flight phase being a sum of all durations of use of the at least one aircraft part carried out for the flight phase during flights of the aircraft, the flight phase corresponding to the image zone identified from the at least two separate zones; and wherein the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part exceeding a predetermined threshold value is determined from the quantifying; and with at least one information member, in response to determining the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value, informing an operator via an audible, visual, and/or vibratory information signal that the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value; and scheduling a maintenance operation of the aircraft in response to determining the level of damage of the least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the map is constructed during a preliminary learning phase according to the determined process using a standardized set of learning data.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determined process is a process based on Kohonen self-organizing mapping.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the map is a three-dimensional map comprising a spherical shape with an icosahedral mesh.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the map is a two-dimensional map comprising a rectangular shape with a hexagonal mesh.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a standardizing the data by generating standardized data representative of the measurements of the at least one flight parameter, the standardized data corresponding to the entry points representative of the at least one flight parameter in the multidimensional space.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the standardizing comprises a sub-step of normalizing the data.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the standardizing comprises a sub-step of selecting the data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises estimating a prediction reliability associated with the identifying, for each respective image point, the image zone.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises recording the image zones and reporting the level of damage of the at least on part of the aircraft.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises transforming the at least two separate zones of the map over time using the entry points.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in the aircraft, and the operator is a pilot of the aircraft.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is implemented on the ground in a ground station, the predetermined threshold value is a first predetermined threshold value, and the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded a second predetermined threshold value higher than the first predetermined threshold value is determined from the quantifying, and the method comprises replacing the at least one aircraft part during the maintenance operation in response to the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part exceeding the second predetermined threshold value.

14. A system for checking a level of damage of at least one part of an aircraft to customize maintenance operations of the aircraft depending on usage of the at least one aircraft part and reduce a maintenance frequency of the aircraft, wherein the system comprises: a processor configured to receive, during a flight of the aircraft, data representative of measurements of at least one flight parameter chosen from the group comprising a position, a travel speed, an acceleration, and an environmental parameter of the aircraft, the data being generated during the flight of the aircraft by at least one sensor embedded on the aircraft, pieces of the data corresponding to entry points representative of the at least one flight parameter in a multidimensional space; the processor being configured to project, according to a determined process, each entry point of the multidimensional space onto a previously constructed map in order to form a respective image point, the map comprising at least two separate zones defined by closed contour lines, each zone of the at least two separate zones being representative of a flight phase of the aircraft chosen from the group comprising an approach phase, a landing phase, a hovering flight phase, a low-speed maneuvering phase, a take-off phase, a descent phase, a climbing phase, a ground phase, a turning phase, a level flight phase, a fixed-point turning phase, a recovery phase, a taxiing phase and a transition phase; an identifier means configured to identify, for each respective image point, an image zone from the at least two separate zones in which the image point is located; an analyzer configured to analyze for quantifying, for the at least one aircraft part and for the flight phase, the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part corresponding to a product of a predetermined coefficient associated with the flight phase multiplied by a total duration of use of the at least one aircraft part for the flight phase, the total duration of use of the at least one aircraft part for the flight phase being a sum of all durations of use of the at least one aircraft part carried out for the flight phase during flights of the aircraft, the flight phase corresponding to the image zone identified from the at least two separate ones; and at least one information member that, in response to the analyzer determining the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded a predetermined threshold value, is configured to inform an operator of the system via an audible, visual, and/or vibratory information signal that the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value.

15. An aircraft comprising at least one aircraft part having a level of damage that changes over time depending on the use of the aircraft, wherein the aircraft comprises the system for checking the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part according to claim 14.

16. The aircraft according to claim 15, wherein the at least one information member, in response to the analyzer determining the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value, is further configured to inform at least a pilot of the aircraft that a maintenance operation of the aircraft is to be scheduled.

17. A method for checking a level of damage of at least one part of an aircraft to customize maintenance operations of the aircraft depending on usage of the at least one aircraft part and reduce a maintenance frequency of the aircraft, wherein the method comprises: collecting, during a flight of the aircraft, data representative of measurements of at least one flight parameter selected from the group consisting of a position, a travel speed, an acceleration, and an environmental parameter of the aircraft, the data generated during the flight of the aircraft by a sensor on the aircraft, pieces of the data corresponding to entry points representative of the at least one flight parameter in a multidimensional space; projecting each entry point of the multidimensional space onto a previously constructed map in order to form a respective image point, the map comprising at least two separate zones defined by closed contour lines, each zone of the at least two separate zones representative of a flight phase of the aircraft selected from the group consisting of an approach phase, a landing phase, a hovering flight phase, a low-speed maneuvering phase, a take-off phase, a descent phase, a climbing phase, a ground phase, a turning phase, a level flight phase, a fixed-point turning phase, a recovery phase, a taxiing phase, and a transition phase; identifying, for each respective image point, an image zone from the at least two separate zones in which the image point is located; analyzing to quantify, for the at least one aircraft part and for the flight phase, the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part corresponding to a product of a predetermined coefficient associated with the flight phase multiplied by a total duration of use of the at least one aircraft part for the flight phase, the total duration of use of the at least one aircraft part for the flight phase being a sum of all durations of use of the at least one aircraft part carried out for the flight phase during flights of the aircraft, the flight phase corresponding to the image zone identified form the at least two separate zones; and wherein the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part exceeding a predetermined threshold value is determined from the analyzing; and informing a pilot of the aircraft, via an audible, visual, and/or vibratory information signal, in response to determining the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value, that the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value; scheduling a maintenance operation of the aircraft in response to determining the level of damage of the at least one aircraft part has exceeded the predetermined threshold value; and replacing the at least one aircraft part during the maintenance operation of the aircraft.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the map is constructed during a preliminary learning phase using a standardized set of learning data.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the map is constructed based on Kohonen self-organizing mapping.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method comprises standardizing the data by generating standardized data representative of the measurements of the at least one flight parameter, the standardized data corresponding to the entry points representative of the at least one flight parameter in the multidimensional space.